


Let Me Count The Ways

by levitatethis



Category: Heroes - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-17
Updated: 2010-05-17
Packaged: 2017-10-09 12:41:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/87615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levitatethis/pseuds/levitatethis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The significant and seemingly insignificant things that mark the path of their relationship. </p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me Count The Ways

**_~ ~Chandra~ ~_**

He binds them before they ever know the other even exists. Good intentions all around, but they all know about the road to Hell. It is Chandra's mission first, to find and bring awareness and knowledge to those who do not understand what is happening to themselves; all in an attempt to atone for the one he could not save, the one that mattered most.

Mohinder, left behind in a state of confusion, does not understand that his father's enforced distance, his heir of dismissiveness, is his act of love towards his son, to both spare him and show him where his future may lie. Mohinder only sees inexplicable abandonment at first. It is not until later that he comes to appreciate Chandra's perceived lunacy for what it really is: a prophetic leap in human evolution that will become Mohinder's life calling; a calling that will take him further than Chandra would have ever thought possible; a calling that will bring great risk to his own life.

Fathers and sons.

Gabriel is amongst the first few whom Chandra engages with. He is eager and willing and looking to fill the void he has achingly felt his entire life; he also proves to be the most obsessive. Unknowingly to Chandra, Sylar is the fascinating and frightening revelation of his work with Gabriel. Beyond anything Chandra's wondrous mind can imagine, Sylar exceeds expectation with such speed that he indiscriminately destroys anyone who gets in his way.

Chandra's life and death is the beginning of Mohinder and Sylar. He is their starting point, but there is nothing simple about it.

Black holes and revelations.   
**__**

**_~ ~Radio Static~ ~_**

The bristling sound of electricity changes meaning with the turning of the speedometer. During the first few hours it reminds them how far they are from home. Invading the middles or ends of songs, it accentuates the silence between the travelers.

The need to destroy the awkwardness forces both men to fill the silence with discussion of such general proportions that neither remembers what the other has said ten minutes later. However, when all meaningless topics are spent what is left is a series of discussions that will forever alter them.

In the hours and days that follow, the two men reemerge as companions finding common ground and intellectual stimulation as a rich source of currency that they exchange hurriedly and with great expectation.

For a brief time the inevitable radio static is incessant, persistent and torturous. Sylar's struggle to maintain leads him to focus in on Mohinder's calming voice; always talking to Zane. Sylar uses it as a guide to fight back the crackling electricity that threatens to turn his brain to mush.

It is during the last leg of their trip that the radio static is acceptable. No words necessary, Mohinder and Sylar sit in comfort, knowing the silence need not be broken.   
**__**

**_~ ~Curry and Chai~ ~_**

Mashed potatoes and sour cream was the most exotic dish Gabriel would partake in as a child. A dash of black pepper from his mum would fill the Gray family spice quotient every day. Simple and unobtrusive was Virginia's motto. She never cared for experimentation when it came to food. She found the idea self-grandizing and the luxury of persons with too much time on their hands. With no comparison to make, Gabriel did not know any better.

Settling in New York, in Mohinder's apartment (Sylar pretends to see it for the first time although he has already memorized every nook and cranny from his visits with Chandra), Gabriel experiences his first taste of the unknown.

A homesick Mohinder introduces Gabriel's inexperienced taste buds to masalas, cumin, elaichi, amli, turmeric and saffron. They make Gabriel's mouth explode with sensations and his eyes water, nearly choking the first time.

He loves it.

Unbeknownst to Mohinder he has also guided Gabriel away from coffee, a drink he apathetically consumed during tedious yet interesting enough hours in his father's watchmaker's store. Gabriel had never put much thought into the hot beverage he coated his stomach with each day, until one night when he tries Mohinder's chai. It is an acquired taste but Gabriel takes to it much faster than he would have initially thought, the taste appeals to Sylar's curious nature.

Being together strikes a balance for both men. Mohinder loves to cook and looks forward to the social act of sharing his food with a friend in this large, lonely city; while Sylar's sense of taste has always been open to new experiences, and Mohinder is the perfect travel guide. 

 

**_~ ~Colours~ ~_**

If colours can represent people, Mohinder is a kaleidoscope of bold, rich tones that are constantly blending and bleeding into each other. He is midnight blue and crimson red, burnt orange and chocolate brown; he is lime green, royal purple and raw umber. Depending on who crosses his path a new colour is created. Mohinder's blend with Peter is different than the shades created with Bennett or Molly. Each one is unique and reflects back on the world.

Gabriel is all neutrals, beige mostly. His palette is simple and safe. At its best it allows him to blend easily into his surroundings; at its worst it resigns him to a life of the known. If, or when, the right person comes along, Gabriel's palette can be brightened and enhanced. That, however, depends on the person. The blend created when Chandra crossed his path was unusual and intoxicating. Gabriel's brown edges began to shimmer. With Mohinder, the shade created is warm and soothing, but there is a hint of something odd at the edges, subtle swirls through the middle that makes the colour both beautiful and off putting.

Sylar is all blackness. He absorbs everything around him, taking it into himself, and gives nothing back except a sense of his ever growing, unstoppable power; a black hole in human form. He is attracted to all colours; his want never ends.

When Mohinder and Sylar cross paths the blend created has no name. Its existence is yet to be verified, but it is there all the same. Sylar's blackness does not dull Mohinder's palette; rather it encourages it. Mohinder's colours cannot be absorbed, a curiousity not lost on Sylar. Two extremes of the same spectrum; they exist in relation to each other. 

 

**_~ ~Pushpins and String~ ~_**

Spattered across the world map, the simplicity of the five colours seems random enough. Marking up towns, cities and countries, the coloured plastic sits fixed to the board below, metal piercing through paper and cork. Plastic for people; it sounds coldly impersonal, like a poorly thought out slogan.

Pieces of string, varying in length, encircle each pin before proceeding in another direction to encircle another one. Unknowingly strangers throughout the world are being connected in this apartment.

A treasure map.

Mohinder is overwhelmed by it. There are far too many people to try to reach and handfuls ignore his attempts on a daily basis. He cannot see a final destination in sight, no final resting spot. He sees only more and more pins with connecting string. He will never catch up, he will always be outpaced as more people clutter the board; but he will try, he will give them the hope and choice they deserve. It is the least he can do with what he knows.

Sylar's eyes take in the increasing numbers of plastic people and connecting lines as a challenge set before him. Each one takes him closer to the treasure chest buried at the end of it all; all powerful, most special being; the one whom all others will look towards and recognize.

Together, looking at the growing collage of pins and string over land masses and bodies of water, Mohinder' s eyes widen at the necessary burden of the mission he has placed upon himself and he is thankful to have someone to share it with; while Sylar's heart pounds at the gift Mohinder has unintentionally presented him. 

 

**_~ ~Broken Watches and Microscopes~ ~_**

During their time together Gabriel had noticed all of Chandra's broken watches. It amazed him that when one stopped functioning Chandra would buy a brand new one instead of addressing what had stopped the current one. His lack of loyalty bothered Gabriel's sensibilities. He thought about fixing them himself but their working relationship went off of the rails around that time and Gabriel never got the chance.

Until now.

Sylar finds a calming contemplation in the adjustment of the connecting parts. It is a self imposed meditation that works remarkably well on the days or nights when Sylar instinctually, desperately, wants to find a name on the list but cannot leave the apartment without Mohinder's questioning look.

Hunched over the kitchen table he loses track of time as his mind becomes singularly focused. So far the count of fixed watches is four. Sylar does not ask for thanks or fish for compliments from Mohinder. Instead he leaves the latest working watch on one of the bookshelves and busies himself with another chapter in the latest book he is reading. He does, however, notice when Mohinder, seemingly in the middle of mountains of research, suddenly stops and picks up the now ticking watch. Sylar's eyes spy as Mohinder examines the face of the mechanical contraption before he holds it to his ear, smiling at the sound of ticking. Four times now. It is thanks enough, even though Sylar does not notice the increasing glances of suspicion that accompany these moments.

Mohinder's appreciation for Sylar's, or Zane as he believes him to be, quick intellectual prowess is most apparent in his willingness to share his academic research. Sylar is the first person he has taken the time to explain in detail, without watering down the terminology, the nature of his work.

Mohinder regularly invites Sylar to look through his microscope, gazing at the microbe world thriving on various slides in his collection. For Mohinder sharing his work is twofold: Sylar's presence allows him to share the overwhelming amount of information he acquires with another like mind; Sylar's mind understands the complexities, intricacies and technicalities of what influences and inspires Mohinder's research. Mohinder recognizes the look of understanding in Sylar's eyes while he nods his head. It is easy for Mohinder to ignore, for a time, the strange glint in Sylar's eyes that accompanies these gestures. 

 

**_~ ~Keyboards and Pages~ ~_**

They are technology and tradition, progress and simplicity melded together. The clattering clicks of the laptop keyboard under Mohinder's fingertips find their counterbalance in the swishing turn of book pages in Sylar's hands from across the room. An aural rhythm is created that gives the impression of compliance and acceptance.

Deeper, just below the sketchy surface, those personas are cracking.

While Mohinder's fingers mindlessly tap correct information without a second glance, his mind takes it upon itself to wander, to question the inconsistencies of the man sitting in the next room inhaling books as if they will all be gathered up and burned before the end of the day.

The key clicks are to Sylar what the turning pages are to Mohinder; a believable façade based on a minute trace of truth.

Sylar retains information while skimming the words that collectively mark the bound pages in his hands. He barely needs to concentrate. Instead he surveils Mohinder without drawing attention. The flipping of pages does not drown out the consistent beating of Mohinder's heart and the steadiness of his breathing. Sylar has started noticing the split second glances but chalks it up to natural curiousity on Mohinder's part. With nothing else to warn him that there is anything to be concerned about, he tells himself he is paranoid, he will know if Mohinder is going to turn on him.

The apartment fills with the sound of keys clicking and swishing pages. 

 

**_~ ~Smiles~ ~_**

Gabriel's childhood was not filled with happiness. That is not to say it was a bad childhood, rather it was a reserved and unemotional one; except for the times when his dad would…quiet but potentially explosive. He can count on both hands the times when mum offered him a smile, but there was always a hidden agenda, a double meaning, normally related back to his dad. He can count on one hand the times he felt an affinity for a smile himself but those always ended up odd and lopsided on his face, not at all reflective of his true feelings.

Gabriel finds Mohinder's smile mesmerizing. He has never seen something so inviting in all his life. Not once did it occur to Gabriel what he had been missing until Mohinder showed it to him.

Sylar finds Mohinder's smile distracting; it lights up the fucking room. No matter what plans, worries or questions are plaguing Sylar's mind, they are instantly tossed aside or temporarily forgotten when Mohinder flashes his grin. It is not that Sylar hates the smile, rather he finds himself looking forward to it each day. It is becoming a serious problem, one that he forgets again when Mohinder throws one his way.

Mohinder's smiles work in degrees. Others rarely notice the distinctions but Mohinder does. There is the smile when he is trying to make an uncomfortable situation seem less awkward, like an icebreaker. There is the smile he gives when he is trying to make someone else feel better, even if he does not share the sentiment, as an act of sympathy. Then there is the smile that is all him when he is happy. It is real and genuine and so big that his eyes light up in a united front.

He has shown all three to Sylar since they first met. So far, Sylar has only recognized the last one. 

 

**_~ ~Tuning Forks and Telekinesis~ ~_**

The tactics used during their inevitable first showdown renders their battle a thing of beauty. By the end of it, after they have both been within death's grasp, they have learned their most valuable lesson: never to underestimate the other.

In that, they are on equal footing.

The drugged chai impresses as does the spinal tap. Sylar sees the all familiar scientist understanding full well the opportunity to experiment on the one and only definitive Patient Zero.

But it is the tuning fork that confirms what Sylar has come to discover during his time with Mohinder; Mohinder is special, he is different from the ability-challenged and ability-wasting others. The tuning fork is much more creative and thoughtful a weapon than Sylar would have expected from one so academically minded; this despite realizing that Mohinder is much more human, emotionally speaking, than most in his field of work.

The tuning fork is brilliantly unusual and confirms that Mohinder can inflict, and enjoy doing so, punishment when necessary. He is not above compromising himself.

Sylar feels a sense of worthiness that Mohinder would put forth such contemplation and effort while handling him. It is a compliment for Sylar, one that he returns with certainty and a touch of flair. It is the least he can do after Mohinder reveals he has the guts to shoot a bullet at Sylar's head.

The bullet frozen in midair is the parlor trick, the "ta-dah! I still have my powers, " moment. Sylar takes greater pleasure in hurtling Mohinder's body around his apartment without ever laying a hand on him. Barely moving from his standing position on the other side of the room Sylar turns unused pushpins into flying darts that draw Mohinder's blood to the surface of his body. Pinning Mohinder to his ceiling, dripping blood to the floor below, is a work of art.

Over the course of one day they both show their hands, revealing their strengths and weaknesses. They can no longer hide what is staring them both in the face. 

 

**_~ ~Inconvenient Truths~ ~_**

Mohinder will most definitely avenge his father and do the world a favour by killing Sylar, eventually.

Sylar will come to realize that Mohinder's existence is nothing more than a roadblock to his own achievements and that it would be best to remove him from the equation; at some point.

But not yet.

Unspoken admissions skirt the corners of their minds, unaware that the other is unconsciously thinking the same thoughts.

In an inconceivably small amount of time, it would be hardly a blip if the existence of the world could be elongated and spread out in a line stretching out from the beginning to the present, a fragile thread connected two lonely souls whose paths crossed one day, violent, intertwined paths destined to meet before either man came into being.

To kill would be expected and acceptable. Legitimate excuses are at the disposal of both men; Sylar is a mass murderer, Mohinder is a significant threat.

Still, they hesitate.

Sylar is destruction and Mohinder's last personal connection to his father.

Mohinder is vengeful and Sylar's last vital connection to humanity.

There was a time when Mohinder could feign comfort in the idea that the choice to end Sylar's life was ultimately decided by someone else's hand, at Kirby Plaza. That is, until Sylar turns up in his apartment seeking help.

Mohinder is always the first person Sylar turns to. In his most vulnerable state it is Mohinder's name that slips off his tongue with ease, it is Mohinder's face that flashes first through his mind; it is Mohinder who Sylar moves towards for help, even if it is only temporarily.

Against his better judgment Mohinder keeps these secrets for them both, not turning Sylar in, finding a way to spare his life for one more day.

Seeing each other now does not alter the past but it does make the present harder to explain. Neither of them tries anymore. Each has a ready excuse to fall back on for why the other is still alive. Mohinder's claim of scientific research keeps his conscience from completely overwhelming him, although each day is a struggle. Sylar tells himself that since Mohinder has no special ability to take, to end his life would be unjustified, but his mind refuses to let him ignore the fact that Mohinder did try to kill him once and nearly succeeded.

They are bound together in the most complex and devastating ways.

The inconvenient truths that hold hostage their minds, keeping them in each others spheres for another day, tell them it will most certainly end badly for one or both of them.

But not yet. 


End file.
